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In the Galapagos Islands, sea lions are everywhere. They are one of the most successful predators here and they live in abundance around most of the islands. Wherever there are fish, you'll find sea lions. They populate the beaches, cover the rocks along the shore, and swim in great numbers in the shallow waters. They are capable swimmers and they spend a few hours each day hunting for fish, octopus, eels, and crabs. They spend the rest of the day lounging and sleeping. The people living on the islands, and even the tourists here have become very accustomed to them and they manage to live harmoniously with these funny animals. The sea lions generally ignore people and keep the same respectful distance. But the sea lions will claim their spot for sleeping in any location they like. They will climb onto almost any flat surface for a snooze. This includes boats in the harbor, picnic tables, sandy beaches, park benches, sidewalks, and even street gutters. This can be very amusing, especially for those who have not grown up here. Their comical way of sprawling out on their backs to sleep makes them resemble a very intoxicated person who has not managed to make their way home after a particularly wild party. Here in the Galapagos, people are encouraged to keep a respectful 2m (6 foot) distance between themselves and the sea lions. The residents are committed to not interfering with the animal life, or nature in any way. They strongly encourage guests on their islands to abide by these rules as well. The balance of nature is a delicate one and harassing, or even helping an animal can have disastrous consequences. What most people don't know is that the adorable baby sea lions on the beach will be abandoned if the mother smells humans on them. It is too easy to want to interact with these furry babies, especially when they persistently seek contact with people, but doing so means almost certain death for the infants. The mothers are usually not far away and will usually return to care for the young after a hunting trip. Even in the case of babies who are not being cared for, interfering is discouraged. The Galapagos Islands are an exciting destination from nay reasons, but sea lions are a very memorable part of the experience.

Bait balls are enormous schools of small fish, sometimes numbering in the millions. The fish cluster in huge schools as a means of protection from predators. Their shimmering scales and rapid movements make it very difficult for predators to follow and catch them. This also allows them to have many eyes to detect a threat. Each fish in the congregation is highly sensitive to panicky movements of the other fish around them and one or two of them reacting suddenly will cause an instant chain reaction. This creates a mesmerizing effect as they dart and move like one giant organism. These scuba divers in the Galapagos Islands are surfacing from a deep dive among the hammerhead sharks and other ocean creatures. As they reached their safety stop, they were surrounded by a bait ball that drifted toward them. These huge groups of fish are an impressive sight and fascinating to observe. They didn't understand what made the fish want to gather around humans until they realized that a a few red footed boobies were diving from above, trying to catch the fish in the bait ball. These birds make their home on Darwin Island, which is right beside the dive site. They watch from above and bombard the schools of fish that venture close to the surface. Sometimes they do this in unison, in great numbers, increasing their chances as the fish become confused and panicky. Red footed and blue footed boobies live in great abundance in the Galapagos Islands. They feed almost exclusively on the fish that come here for food that is brought by the ocean currents. The fish know that they are in danger of being eaten by the birds, but they may bee reluctant to swim deeper due to the schooling hammerheads. They wisely make the choice to swim near the harmless divers in the hope that the birds will be deterred. Although this works to an extent, some of the braver boobies dive bombed the fish, narrowly missing the diver with the camera. Seeing the relationship in action between predator and prey in the ocean is an awe-inspiring experience and a reminder that in the food chain, somebody is always looking for food and somebody else is always looking for escape. For many species, this happens simultaneously.

Khaleesi the bulldog loves watching horror movies and always tries to protect any potential victims from harm! She is especially vocal when children are in danger as seen in this clip. Movie credit - "The Conjuring" (if you haven't seen it, u should!)

Four month old Liam captures hearts everywhere he goes. He's an adorable baby with a laugh that makes you stop, listen, and begin to laugh along with him. The magic of a baby's laughter is that it comes right from the belly so easily. The simplest of things amuse and delight an infant. You don't have to be a world renowned comedian to tickle a baby's funny bone and when you get one to really laugh, you can repeat things over and over again and get the same laughter for hours. Shona is a very enthusiastic grandma who has discovered that tapping her fingers on the window is all it takes to make Liam burst out in laughter. Shona laughs almost as hard as the two play their adorable game. Even Kolby, Liam's mother, laughs as she tries to hold the camera steady. A baby’s laughter is contagious like no other. Haven’t we all been in a room or a store and heard a baby’s laughter, only to realize that we, and everybody else had stopped to listen? Then one by one, we all end up laughing too. We would gladly tickle a baby or play peek-a-boo for hours, only to keep the laughter going. And the look of expectation on the baby’s face as he or she waits for us to make them laugh again is especially endearing. Laughter is definitely food for the soul and it creates bonds between family and strangers alike. We all deserve to hear the laughter of a bay every day!

Samson and Ollie engage in the cutest tug of war ever over an emoji pillow. These two powerful dogs could potentially do a lot of damage to that pillow very quickly, but this appears to be a gentle match between the two. Samson seemed to give up but when Ollie claimed his win by giving himself permission to jump on the sofa, Samson seemed to have a change of heart! Samson shakes his head “no” as if he’s trying to tell Ollie he didn’t play fair. Poor Samson, but it’s certain he will get his chance for victory again.

The Galapagos Sky is a small cruise ship that takes 16 tourists on a remote and incredible adventure to the outermost reaches around the Galapagos Islands. Embarking on a dive adventure that would lead them to Wolf and Darwin Islands to meet hammerhead sharks and whale sharks, these tourists were watching the beautiful scenery and catching an occasional glimpse of pilot whales and fin whales. One brave Canadian tourist decided to wander up front, despite the waves, to try to capture a whale breach on video. What he caught instead was the slap of a large wave that came crashing over the bow. Quickly deciding that the lower deck wasn't the best place to be in rough seas, he made a hasty retreat. He couldn't help but laugh when he realized that the boat captain had been able to see the whole episode from the bridge, and he was laughing even harder. The two of them had a very different perspective on the same event. As an afterthought, he can be seen checking that the camera is still working to make sure the salt water hasn't wrecked it. Our Canadian friend also had some explaining to do when he went back inside the ship, dripping wet to join the other tourists. The Galapagos Sky is an amazing ship, with a crew that prides themselves on service that is beyond anybody's expectations. The one week tour took these adventurous scuba divers to one of the most remote, hostile, and beautiful places on the planet. Several BBC series have been produced that describe this magical and unforgiving world. As a dive destination, it is second to none. These guests saw unique birds, marine iguanas, several different species of sharks, and the most sought after creature of all, the magnificent whale shark. Their trip to this remote paradise was truly the adventure of a lifetime.

These manatees were found on the beach when they were just tiny babies, so they had to be rescued and now are cared for at a rehabilitation center, waiting to go back to the ocean once they are old enough. They get bottle-fed five times a day, with a special formula containing the fat and nutrients they need. Because there are too many animals, they can't all get fed at the same time, and the one seen drinking his formula in the video is the big bully that will try and still everyone else's bottles when he is not the one getting fed. Well, this time the tables have turned, and one of the manatees that always gets bullied decides to get back at him, and try to steal his bottle for a change! It wasn't a very successful attempt, but it was worth the try! Manatees are such funny animals! The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) is the largest species of Sirenians alive. The Sirenia order also includes the Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis) and the African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis). The West Indian Manatee is currently divided into two subspecies, the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and the Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus), although recent data indicates three separate lineages: one in Florida and the Greater Antilles; another in Western and Southern Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and Northwestern South America, West of the Lesser Antilles; and the third one on Northeastern South America, East of the Lesser Antilles. Evidence indicates that there might be hybridization with the Amazonian Manatee, in some areas near the mouth of the Amazon. In 2017 the West Indian Manatee’s status has been downgraded from endangered to threatened, but it's essential to have stronger emphasis on preserving and restoring warm water habitats, and increase the reports of manatee boat strikes, in order to sustain this progress.

Bull sea lions are huge and very territorial. They spend most of their day looking after their colony of female sea lions, which can be a full time job. They ward off rival males, keep an eye out for predators, and even keep humans from getting too close to their women or their turf. They have a loud bark that sounds like a dog with a cough and they use this bark to protest almost anything unusual, or to simply warn everyone else of their presence and their dominance. This bull in Loberia, on the coast of San Cristobal Island, in the Galapagos, is the undisputed king of the beach and he keeps busy guarding his kingdom. He had just run full speed up the hill to chase off another bull, who wisely also ran full speed over the sand dune and as far as he could to get away. Sea lions are not agile though, and the effort of the 200 yard dash nearly exhausted him. He needed to get back to the water and he decided that rolling down the hill was his best choice. As the bull made his way back to the water, a couple had been taking photographs of each other in various poses on the beach. Our enthusiastic bikini model was working very hard to find the right pose in the shallow tide pool with a beautiful ocean backdrop. She crouched and sat on a rock in the narrow canal that leads from the beach to the deeper water. The sea lion made its way toward her and barked. It's impossible to know if the bark was appreciation or annoyance, but the bikini model decided that she did not want to find out. She popped to her feet and made her way squealing, to the safety of the beach. The sea lion continued to the deeper water and the barking continued, but if you listen closely, you can definitely hear that it's more like a laugh than it was before. Apparently sea lions have a sense of humor!

Galapagos sharks are at the top of the food chain in the Galapagos Islands and it's no wonder. They can reach an impressive length of eleven feet and they can weigh up to 430 pounds. Active predators that hunt in large groups, they will eat almost any fish, octopus, marine iguanas, and even sea lions. They are bold and occasionally aggressive toward humans, and they are one of the few shark species that are regarded as dangerous to scuba divers. Commonly, they have fourteen rows of sharp teeth and an impressive bite strength. Understandably, they are well respected animals and scuba divers are very cautious when these sharks show up. Despite the potential for aggression, shark attacks are extremely rare, and they are usually due to careless behavior or misunderstanding rather than predatory feeding behavior. Divers are well advised to pay close attention to these sharks and they will quickly exit the water if the sharks appear in large numbers or if the sharks become excited. Common methods of repelling sharks, such as striking them with objects will not actually deter the Galapagos shark at all, and in fact, it could trigger a feeding frenzy. Humans should always remember that they are guests in this underwater domain and that incorrect behavior will often have immediate and serious consequences. This Galapagos shark swam past a group of divers who were stationed on a ledge, watching for whale sharks to pass by on the strong ocean currents. The Galapagos shark was curious and it passed several times, stopping to circle an area in the rocks near the divers. Being careful to move slowly, the diver with the camera drifted along the rocks toward this beast to get a little footage. The shark actually appeared ready to lunge at a fish in front of its snout, but decided quickly that the smaller fish was too agile to pursue. This very subtle, but important cue was a signal to the diver that this shark was hungry and that approaching any closer might be risky. The shark circled a few times and then left to explore other areas. Whale sharks that frequent this are will often have large chunks missing from their dorsal fins or tails. A common reason for this is that they have been bitten by Galapagos sharks, most likely at a young age, causing these injuries. Scuba dive masters will tell their groups that sharks are not to be feared, but that the divers must have a healthy respect for them and pay close attention to their behavior to minimize the risk. No intelligent diver will ever seek out close contact with these animals without a great deal of training and experience.

The porcupine fish is one of the oddest and cutest fish on the reefs. It is often referred to as the "fish with the baby face". Looking at it face on, its big, puppy-dog eyes and small, puckered mouth give it a cherub-like face that is delightful to see. The fish swims awkwardly and barely uses its tail for propulsion. It moves forward by flapping its dorsal fin and its anal fin, only using its tail when required for an immediate burst of speed. Their bulky bodies and large heads make them a very slow moving fish, but they don’t actually need speed to protect them from predators. A porcupine fish is capable of rapidly inhaling air or water to inflate to two or three ties their normal size. This makes them impossible to swallow except by only the largest of sharks or killer whales. When a porcupine fish inflates, sharp spines protrude outward on the surface of this fish to make it even more difficult to swallow. As another method of self defense, the porcupine fish stores a neurotoxin in its organs that is 1200 times as powerful as cyanide. In fact, one porcupine fish contains enough toxin to kill 30 grown men, if it were ingested. The porcupine fish is no threat to humans, unless harassed or annoyed. A video surfaced recently that showed a scuba diver wiggling his finger toward a large porcupine fish and repeatedly encroaching on its space. The porcupine bit the scuba diver, severing his finger and reminding us that even the most docile and gentle of creatures has a limit that should not be exceeded. Porcupine fish do have sharp teeth and strong jaws, despite their smaller size. Their teeth continue to grow throughout their life, being worn down by chewing. Charles Darwin mentioned this fish in his account of the famous trip around the world, The Voyage of the Beagle, and he explained that porcupine fish had occasionally been found in the stomachs of sharks. He also noted that these fish had the ability to chew their way through the stomach and even the side of the shark to escape. This makes it very obvious that appearances can be deceiving and the creatures of the ocean should never be underestimated.